Posts tagged ‘Sony Xperia ZL’

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It is always nice to see an OEM stick to their promises. Just over a month ago Sony’s blog announced that the Sony Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and Xperia Tablet Z would all be getting Android 4.4 in May. Well, May is here and 3/4 of the way over and Sony has announced that the update is finally starting to roll out.

On Sony’s blog they outline that the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the devices named above has started today for select markets with more to follow in coming weeks. The update brings in all the usual Android 4.4 goods and fixes that you might have been watching everyone else enjoy. It also offers up a revamped Status Bar and Quick Settings panel.

As you might expect, we’re also uplifting Sony’s entire native app portfolio to the latest versions bringing tweaked / improved / current experiences for one and all… some of our favourites look like:

Messaging – a few UI adjustments here & there, including a slicker “send” animation, and deeper Emoji support for some expressive fun… also worth noting, you’ll find smileys wherever there’s an app with a keyboard

Email – you’ll be able to both load and see more mails… but don’t fret, navigation of said load is easier with a more responsive viewing pane – split screen modes divide info for easy digest… especially useful / works a treat on Xperia Tablet Z

Smart Social Camera – our social imaging experience makes its debut on our first Z Series devices; a selection of Xperia Camera apps directly accessible from your viewfinder… including personal favourite “Creative Effect”, and more for download to boot!

The WALKMAN and Album and Movies media apps are also getting an updated UI and are integrated into the Sony Entertainment Network cloud service with better download speeds and more. The update also makes the slightly older devices compatible with the SmartWare Experience SmartBand SWR10 and Lifelog App.

Unfortunately Sony doesn’t lay down the planned locales and regions for us, but we do know the above image is from the update that Robert just installed this morning in Sweden. It is unclear if the T-Mobile variant of the Xperia Z will be picking this update up or not. The current Xperia Z1s on the network is still sitting on Android 4.3, so I would imagine they would want to start there if they do anything at all.

Any devices owners out there seeing the update? Did you pull it from the PC companion app or via OTA, and where are you located?

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In the middlish of March Sony’s blog announced that the Xperia Z Ultra, Z1 and Z1 compact were all available for Android 4.4 KitKat updates. At the end of their announcement they mentioned that the Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and Tablet Z were also going to be getting an updated Android version come Q2 of this year. For those that forget what the quarters are, that would be any time between April 1st and June 30th.

We are already just over two weeks into April and those of us with the Xperia devices mentioned are probably searching daily for news regarding when the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update will become available. I know I have been checking often. Thanks to the keen eyes at the Xperia Blog, we now have a target month for the update to start rolling out, assuming everything goes as planned. Sony recently updated their product pages for the Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and Tablet Z to reflect the cutesy Android KitKat image labeled “Next Version” with “2014-5″. However, May is 31 days long and we will keep our thoughts aimed for the end of the month. If it happens sooner, then we can be a little happier a little earlier.

We won’t hold our breathe in anticipation of any carriers pushing the update as soon as it is available, but it certainly seems like manufacturers and carriers have been at least stepping up their game a little. HTC and Samsung have certainly been a lot more forthcoming with updated OS version then they ever were before, right along with the likes of T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. All seem to be pushing the updates pretty close to each other rather than the usual few months later.

We will keep our eyes peeled throughout May and let you know which device, carrier and country starts seeing the update. It should help hold you over a little longer until the Xperia Z2 makes its way to your hands. Especially with the reports of the Z2 being delayed at least until May.

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The main focus of the a post on the Sony Mobile blog today was Android 4.4 KitKat updates for three devices that started today. While the software is available for the Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z1 Compact, the actual update might not be hitting your device for a little while. At the tail end of the announcement Sony tossed in a few little side details for six other Xperia branded devices.

Once the roll out for the three mentioned above is completed, or at least near completion to their standards, then Sony will start another round of Android 4.4 updates for four more Xperia devices. Those holding onto a Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Tablet Z and Xperia ZR will be happy to hear that in mid-Q2, that is May, Sony will start pushing Android 4.4 out for you.

An additional little bit of info also puts the Xperia T2 Ultra, Xperia E1 and Xperia M2 in the mix for an update to KitKat. They failed to offer a time line of any sort for those three devices.

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Sony recently released the Android 4.3 update to the Xperia Z1 and Ultra and it was only going to be a matter of time before the other Z line started to see theirs. We are happy to pass along that Sony is currently pushing out that Android 4.3 update to the Sony Xperia Z, Xperia ZR, Xperia ZL and the Xperia Tablet Z.

The update brings quite a lot to the table.

Launched with Xperia Z1, we’re now bringing Sony’s Smart Social Camera to these devices – our signature camera experience, that lets you download, access and enjoy “Xperia camera apps” directly from within the viewfinder

Sony’s Media apps: WALKMAN, Album and Movies, with Sony Entertainment Network cloud service integration* – a more converged and full Sony entertainment experience – Sony Entertainment Network & PlayMemories integration with a more intuitive UI, offering seamless access to both local and cloud content

The launch of our unique custom interface experience: “Xperia Themes”, with downloadable UI packs from Sony Select – more on this soon…

Battery STAMINA Mode – updated version of Sony’s power management app, now with refreshed interface and more smart options for prolonging battery life

Increased user control for Xperia Tablet Z, with “Restricted Profiles”; option to create isolated, secure spaces with individual local storage, home screens, widgets and settings

While I am a happy Xperia Z owner, those of us here in the states know that it is going to be a while before T-Mobile probably rolls out the update. I can tell you though from personal experience with this update for the last week or so, that all the little features and tweaks certainly do make a HUGE difference to the device. I am particularly happy to report that it is noticeably smoother, the camera offers much more and the battery life has dramatically improved. T-Mobile will probably kill that off with bloatware though.

For those that went ahead and flashed the commercial/journalist build that made its way to XDA, this update is carrying the same firmware version of 10.4.B.0.569.

Be on the lookout for the update overseas to your various Xperia Z devices.

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With the update of the Sony Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra rolling out as of yesterday, we knew it wouldn’t be long before Sony updated the rest of its top line of Xperia Z products to Android 4.3. Sure enough, Android 4.3 for Sony Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and the Tablet Z was seen to be getting certified at PTCRB today, approving firmware build 10.4.B.0.569 for release. This will surely mean that the update will be incoming very shortly to those of you who have these devices, though we’ll let you know as soon as we know anything more.

While Sony might be a little bit late to the update game relative to Samsung and HTC’s flagships, I would say they look like they’re doing a better job at updating more of their devices. Who else is impressed by Sony? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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Happy Monday to you all, if Mondays are happy at all. Time to see if your device is getting an update. Some Android 4.4.2 updates for the Google Edition phones are now available. Also some Android 4.3 updates are ready for you to download given you have the certain phones.

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A flurry of devices have been updated to Android 4.3 these past few weeks, including the Note 2 variants and now a build of Android 4.3 has been leaked out allegedly for the Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL. Labelled as a “Commercial&Journalists” build, it’s difficult to tell whether this is the final version of Android 4.3 for the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL as the formal build isn’t likely to roll out for a little while longer.

Even so, if you own either of these devices, you can download the build below, which carries the firmware build number of 10.4.B.0.569 on both devices. Links go to the relevant XDA Forum pages so make sure you click through and check it out: